British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will learn on Wednesday whether his government can implement its plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda when the Supreme Court reaches a verdict on the legality of the scheme, Reuters reports.
The five Supreme Court justices are set to deliver their judgement at around 10:00 GMT.
Sunak is seeking to overturn a June ruling which found that the scheme to send migrants, who arrived in the UK without permission, to Rwanda was unlawful as this country is not considered safe.
The Rwanda scheme is essential for Sunak as he is preparing for next year’s election. Some voters are concerned about the number of asylum seekers arriving on small boats to UK shores. This year alone, more than 27,000 people arrived on England’s south coast without permission, following a a record 45,755 detected in 2022.
The Prime Minister claims the plan, originally proposed by Boris Johnson, will deter migrants from making the dangerous journey across the Channel from Europe, disrupting the business model of people traffickers.
Critics in the opposition, members of his own Conservative Party, church leaders, and the UN refugee agency voiced uncertainty about the success of the scheme, calling it immoral and flawed. According to the media, even King Charles III has expressed concern.
Sunak’s party is trailing by about 20 points in opinion polls, and the victory in court will allow him to claim he is making progress on his plan to “stop the boats,” one of his five key election pledges.
The ruling has taken on even greater political significance following the recent sacking of Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who had been handling immigration issues.
Braverman stated that if the Supreme Court found the scheme illegal, she would seek to lead calls by Conservative lawmakers for Britain to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
Asked if the government had an alternative plan, Sunak’s spokesperson responded:
We have options for various scenarios as you would expect.
